When To Leave Work Due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Posted
on August 05, 2015

More and more people are leaving or staying home
from work due to carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS due to the symptoms they
suffer. In 1995 alone, around $270 million was spent on illness days
for these patients to get some relief away from the workplace. CTS
evolves in the wrist where bones and muscles create a smooth operating
passage for the median nerve. This median nerve is what gives us
sensation and the ability to move our thumb and first three fingers. If
this nerve is compressed, hence CTS, we can suffer pain, numbness,
cramping and swelling—and these are only the basic symptoms of CTS. CTS
can also cause head and neck aches, and backaches.

People
at work should take pause if their CTS symptoms are severe and try to
avoid situations that make them worse. More and more employers are
purchasing smart videos or computer software that reminds their worker’s
with CTS to stop and take breaks and offers up exercises they can do to
help relieve pain.

It has been shown that women
have highest rates of CTS and are three times more likely to develop
CTS. It may be because the size of the carpal tunnel might be smaller
in women than in men, however, researchers are still unsure of this.

Workers
employed in jobs like manufacturing, sewing, cleaning, and data entry
often develop CTS. A surprising fact, when most people look at CTS only
being the result of typing away on that old keyboard all day long, is
that workers who held assembly line jobs had a higher risk of CTS.

So,
when is it time to leave work due to carpal tunnel? That question is
personal for each person who suffers from CTS and their employer. More
and more, the US is seeing employee manuals talk about CTS and what the
employee should do in case of an outbreak of symptoms. Just as
employers tell their employees that if the weather outside is beginning
to get so bad that they should leave the workplace early, some are doing
this with carpal tunnel or telling them to stay home altogether.

While
more studies are needed, approximately $30,000 is spent during the
lifetime of a carpal tunnel sufferer from medical expenses and missed
workdays. Workman’s compensation insurance companies are demanding more
research not only from the science world but the employer world on
helping to enhance worksites ergonomically and hold training seminars on
how to avoid CTS outbreaks and when to know if your pain needs
attention.

The days of thinking that CTS doesn’t
exist are over and while employers are being more open minded about
their workers who suffer from CTS, the best ways to help with CTS
symptoms when you are at the workplace is by trying to prevent them
altogether.

One good, proven, and recommended way is to have a good bone and joint doctor fit you with a good wrist brace
that you can wear at work, at home, and while you sleep. Prevention of
symptoms and the use of anti-inflammatories is still considered the
best way to treat CTS. Some say surgery is a good choice, however, we
found that almost fifty percent of people with CTS who had surgery,
redeveloped the condition when they returned to their jobs. Through
analyzing work risk factors, telling employees when to take a break and
giving them exercises to do, and using good ergonomic equipment is
cutting down on people leaving work due to their CTS symptoms.